Biz Tips: Looking To Re-brand? Here’s How To Do It Seamlessly

October 3, 2018

GROWTH:

Looking To Re-brand? Here’s How To Do It Seamlessly

There are lots of reasons why businesses choose to rebrand. Some businesses make a choice to re-launch their brand in order to stay relevant and competitive with their evolving marketplace, while other businesses choose to change direction and reshape their identity.

Whatever the nature of the rebranding is — and however big or small — there are a lot of intricate details for businesses to consider to ensure it is a success.

If you’re considering undertaking a rebranding, here is how you should go about it.

1. Ask yourself why you want to be a rebrand

Before you do anything, make sure you have a valid reason to rebrand. Rebranding is a huge task to undertake, and if you don’t pinpoint how rebranding can lend to your business’s goals and objectives, you will end up damaging your business entirely.

Business rebrand for a number of reasons. The most common reasons include:

Refreshing an antiquated brand identity

Representing your business model more accurately following a new direction

In-line with the launch of a new service or product

In response to bad press or a brand image that has negative connotations

If re-branding is the only way to encourage your business to thrive you can be sure it is the right choice to make.

2. Consider your budget

Re-branding your business costs more than you may assume, so be sure your budget allows for it. It can cost businesses anywhere between 10–20% of their revenue, so it is advised to conduct an audit on your current marketing strategies to find out the feasibility.

3. Plan your approach

Once you’ve decided to re-brand your business you need to map out your approach. Re-branding isn’t just about changing your name or your logo; there is a lot that goes into the process, so it’s important that you don’t rush into it.

Depending on the scale at which you are re-branding, you will have to consider your visual identity, messaging, online presence, legalities and copyright, customer database, marketing strategy and leads, content and product/service guides. You will also need to consider internal processes and the effects re-branding will have on your employees.

When you’re putting together a strategy for your re-branding, it’s smart to conduct in-depth market research. Ask your clients and customers for feedback on your products and services — what is and isn’t working, and what can be improved. You should also ask your employees for feedback as they can often offer valuable suggestions which you can act.

You should also conduct competitor research to gauge as much knowledge as possible about your industry and the products/services that are already out there. For example, if your business is to provide wedding music, you should look into other wedding bands in Sydney and how they market themselves.

Outline what it is that you want to change, and theoretically, feed in all the aspects of your business — how does it all fit together? Note that some parts of your business won’t be affected by re-branding.

4. Communicate with your customers

Once you know exactly what your re-branding strategy will look like you should create a workable timeline so that you and your team have a clear understanding. This is crucial because you need to allow plenty of time to communicate with your clients and customers about the change. If you don’t give your customers a head’s up about changes occurring to your business, you may damage your relationship with them. Keep them in the loop at all times to build their trust.

It is inevitable that people will question your decision to rebrand or may express concerns, so you should prepare for this and perhaps create a canned email response to send out to those who ask.

5. Focus on the finer details

When re-branding your business you should take into consideration the whole picture, but you must remember to deconstruct the process and give the small details your attention. This includes updating your mission statement so that showcases your business in the best possible light.

You may think that if you slightly tweak your logo you don’t need to address it in your mission statement, but if you had a valid reason to alter your brand’s identity in the first place, chances are that it is worth mentioning. Use the change as an opportunity to analyse your current content and give it a refresh.

6. Market your brand’s new look

Re-branding your business is an excellent excuse to promote your brand, and doing so will increase your growth and enhance your brand awareness.

However big or small your re-branding strategy is behind the scenes, it is a smart marketing move to shout as loud as you can about the change across your website, social media channels and more. You should also issue a press release outlining why your business is re-branding and the exciting ventures that are in store.

By doing this your business will see an increase in social engagement and a surge in website traffic. You will create a buzz among your existing customers and generate curiosity from prospective leads.

You may also choose to put on an event to celebrate your re-branding and to relaunch your business. The key is to be as public about the positive changes as possible — create a hype and your new business endeavors will begin on a positive note.

7. Don’t neglect your customers

Re-branding requires a lot of attention and focus, but you must be careful not to let it eclipse your priority — your customers. Even if you have notified your customers that you are in the process of re-branding, there is no room for negligence. If you fail to deliver the top quality customer service that your customers are used to, they will become frustrated and you may lose their business entirely.

Although re-branding is a huge step for your business, it is important to ensure that you have the adequate team in place to keep the business running smoothly. Your whole re-branding endeavors to enhance your brand will be counterproductive if it is the catalyst for a drop in revenue. This is something that should be accounted for in the planning stages.

Conclusion

Re-branding presents many opportunities for business growth, but it’s important to not get carried away in the excitement of a relaunch and drop the ball on your current processes. Remember that your customers are at the heart of your success — without them, you don’t have a business at all — to keep them a priority in everything you do.